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Health & Fitness

The Fitness Connection - Summer Is A Comin'

The secret to weight loss is: There IS no secret!

Ok...can I shake you up a bit?  It's MAY.  OMG - beach season is here!  Well...it should be here, anyway. This weather can really get you down.  We've had what - 3 nice days all spring?  But truth be told, we will all wake up one morning and BAM - it will be summer.  Now I don't know about you, but I was kind of a slug this winter.  WHAT!  A fitness trainer was a slug!!???  Yes - people, I too, am human.  I'm not Barbie. I eat chocolate, I indulge in some wine on occasion (smile!) and I don't always look the way I would like to look.  (But in 10 years I want to look like her over on the right in that red bikini!)  But I am always working at it - ALWAYS.  And I believe that is the ticket.  In my mind, as a trainer and just a regular girl, my goals for myself and my clients as well, is to stay the course as we age.  To always go back to the lifestyle that strives to keep you healthy and fit.   

Essentially it boils down to this. If you are unhappy with the way you look, you need to change something and possibly many things. The first thing you need to change, above all else, is your attitude. If you want to change the way you look, you have to really WANT to. You have to want it bad. The second thing you need to do is make a plan for your transformation. Third? You have to follow the plan. Once you start following your plan, the transformation will begin.

As an aside, if you are overeating and not exercising, you need a lifestyle change, not just a short term plan. Going on a "diet" or planning to "do this" for a month, 2 months, etc. may get you to your goal, but in my opinion it is only a short term solution.  For most, the minute you go back to your old habits, you end up where you started.   I personally advocate a clean eating lifestyle rather than counting calories.  But, that being said, you should do what works for YOU.  Some people do well following Weight Watchers, others count calories, still others like to start with a South Beach type regime and then move toward a clean eating style.  I think the common thread here is to eat clean, unprocessed food.  More on that another day. But for now, let's get started.....
The plan goes like this: Write down your specific goals and how you will accomplish the goals. For example:

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Ultimate goal
Lose 1/2 - 2 pounds a week totaling 4-6 pounds by July 4th

Daily Goals

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1. Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily;

2. Eat clean 90% of the time (this gives you 4 meals a week to cheat!)

3. Eat 6 times a day;

4. Incorporate both protein and complex carbs into every meal;

5. Log your food;

6. Log your workouts.

Weekly Goals

1. Do a minimum of 2 strength training workouts each week; (more on this another day!)

2. Do 3, 30 minute, high intensity interval workouts each week; (more on this another day!)

3. Do 10-30 minutes of some activity (like walking) on the days you don’t do a strength or cardio workout;

4. Avoid alcohol Monday through Thursday;

5. Plan your cheat meals/day.

How do you accomplish these goals? Plan to accomplish them. Here’s an example of how to plan to accomplish your goals.

1. Fill a half gallon container with water each morning and make sure it is empty by bedtime; (I recommend emptying it by 5pm so you aren’t up all night!)
2. Plan your 6 “meals”;
Studies show that fit people eat the same foods throughout the week with the exception of dinner. Plan each meal and snack according to your protein and carbs goal.
4. Schedule your workouts in your calendar;
Join a class. Get up earlier and workout before work and before the kids get up. Get a friend to workout with you. If you don’t schedule it, it’s not happening.
5. Write down your daily workouts;
I have a calendar hanging at the top of my stairs. I draw a big red heart on every date that I do a cardio workout and I make a notation on every date that I strength train or walk for 30 minutes or take a Yoga class or a bootcamp class. This way, every time I walk up those stairs, it is staring me in the face and I know exactly what needs to get done before the week is over. I have been doing this for 11 years! It keeps you honest.
6. Resist that glass of wine (or 2 or 3) after work;
Look forward to Friday’s glass or two. Did you know that a FOUR ounce glass of wine has about 100 calories? Come on - when was the last time you drank JUST a 4 ounce glass?
7. Plan to cheat!
Woman cannot live on clean food alone. WE NEED CHOCOLATE! At least, I do. It is so much easier to permanently change the way you eat if you don't feel deprived. So build a cheat meal into your week so you have it to look forward to.  Plan to go out to dinner on Sat.  Have dessert. Drink some wine. Have a Mojito. Just eat lighter that day. Can't go all day without a sweet or a glass of wine? If you're a calorie counter, build it into your calories for the day.   There are many tips and tricks, but the point is - go back to your clean eating lifestyle as soon as your cheat is over! 
So, there you have it. Some great ideas to get you to your weight loss/fitness/ healthy lifestyle goals.

 See you in a few days.

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